For years while
the networks were challenging FCC fines in
the courts we kept hearing from the networks
that just because they can air
indecent content doesn’t mean they will.
There’s no need for the FCC to continue
enforcing decency laws, they argued, "we
respect our audience!"

Now we have
evidence of just how much respect
– or more appropriately, how little respect
– broadcasters have for their audience… for
you, for your family, for your children or
grandchildren.

As reported in the
LA Times this weekend, a new PTC
study has found a staggering increase in the
frequency and explicitness of pixilated
nudity on the broadcast networks during
primetime hours.

During the recently concluded
television season there were 76 incidents
of full nudity in 37 shows compared to 15
incidents in 14 shows the previous year,
an increase of 407%.

Almost 70% of the scenes that depicted
full nudity

during the 2011 – 2012
study period were in shows that aired
before 9:00 pm and as early as 7:00
pm. By comparison half of the full nudity
scenes aired after 9:00 pm the previous
year.

Out of the 76 instances of full nudity
this past season, only 5 occurred in shows
that carried an "S" descriptor which would
alert parents to the presence of
heightened sexual content.

The PTC documented only one instance
of full frontal pixilated nudity in the
2010-11 television season, but 64
instances just one year later, an increase
of 6300%.

There was a 2700% increase in the use
of blurring or pixilation to cover body
parts in the recently concluded television
season compared to the previous year.

Two years ago, black bars/logos and/or
conveniently placed objects in a scene
were used to block the view of sexual
organs from the viewer 87% of the time.
This past year, 74% of the incidents of
full nudity used blurring or pixilation to
cover sexual body parts. The full body of
flesh tones depicted during full body
nudity scenes where sexual organs are
blurred or pixilated could be perceived to
be a closer simulation of complete frontal
nudity given that the viewer is seeing all
flesh tones.

Last year, you
recall, the PTC also exposed the shocking
spike in bleeped and unbleeped obscenities
on broadcast TV during primetime viewing
hours.

More sex, more
profanity… even though survey after survey
have shown that the American people think
there is already too much sex and profanity
on TV. It is abundantly clear that the
networks have no interest in or intention of
following the wishes of the very public
whose broadcast airwaves they license and
profit from.

Recent studies
have revealed how damaging these messages
are for impressionable youngsters. One study
found that children as young as six equate
being sexy with being popular, while another
study revealed that teens who were exposed
to high levels of sexual content in films "

start
having sex at younger ages, have more sexual
partners, and are less likely to use condoms
with casual sexual partners."

If left unchecked
and unchallenged, Hollywood will continue on
this path until broadcast TV is
undistinguishable from premium cable
networks like Showtime, HBO, or Cinemax.

The PTC is here to
stand in the gap, to demand decency and
responsibility from the entertainment
industry. We pushed the FCC to do a better
job of enforcing broadcast decency laws, and
fought for higher fines against broadcasters
found to be in violation of those laws. When
the networks challenged those fines in
court, the PTC pushed the FCC to appeal all
the way to the Supreme Court. The PTC has
challenged advertisers to change their
sponsorship behavior and is working with
producers and advertisers to get more
family-friendly programming on air. In
short, the PTC is doing what the networks
won’t do. We’re fighting for you and
your families to ensure a safer TV
environment.

But as this latest
study shows, there’s still a lot of work to
be done. We urgently need your help to keep
our advertiser accountability and broadcast
decency campaigns going. Please consider
making a tax-deductible donation to the PTC
today… Because Our Children Are
Watching.

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